First:
Estrogen dominance is an umbrella term for a culmination of health issues affecting not only fertility, but the whole body [1]. It is important to note that estrogen dominance doesn't necessarily mean an excess of estrogen, but potentially a lack of progesterone. This is significant because in some instances, decreasing estrogen may not be the issue. Over all, we know that elevated estrogen contributes to a gambit of health disorders, but progesterone is what holds estrogen in balance.
Next:
Previously I've shared some articles about long term benefits of a reduced carbohydrate diet. I'll openly admit that the fad aspect of the ketogenic diet makes me want to roll my eyes so hard... BUT, things gain momentum and popularity often because they yield some semblance of the desired result, so for the sake of my experiences with low carb/ketogenic eating, I'm going to stick to it as my reference point. Please feel free to look back at those articles for more generalized information.
Here's what we know:
Xenoestrogens are becoming more prevalent in our lives [2]. This often leads to the body being unable to accommodate with natural progesterone production. Think of it like a line graph.
Sometimes in the cycle, estrogen is meant to be higher. For you Marquette/NFP/FAM people, this is the proliferative phase of your cycle. After the period, estrogen is the hormone responsible for building up a nice pillow soft landing for that fertilized egg. After ovulation, estrogen is starts to wane and progesterone takes over. Again, for your Marquette/NFP/FAM people, this PHASE III!!!! 💗💗💗💗 (for non-Marquette/NFP/FAM people, this is the least likely time to conceive, so, many couples use this phase exclusively for intimate contact). NOW, the important thing to note here is that progesterone is the dominant post-luteal (post ovulatory) hormone. So, for all you postpartum mamas and daddies out there thinking "Oh my gosh! We DTD on day 234234234 (mild exaggeration of course) and peaked the next day!!!" Guess what? Our bodies are so smart that in the postpartum phase, progesterone is trying to come back on line after all that lochia and prolactin and oxytocin that usually that post-luteal phase is so short that the body doesn't have time to make that super comfy pillow before the period starts. This is also a serious concern for all estrogen dominance disorders. This is only true for breast feeding mamas. Formula or non-ecological feeding mamas tend to have an earlier return of their period, and thus, ovulation [3].
So, let's say someone, somewhere, with some authority, has told you that you are estrogen dominant, or you've been diagnosed with dysmenorrhea [4], endometriosis*, uterine fibroids [5]. The information below belongs to you.
From research presented in this post, we can gather that there is a correlation between estrogen related health disorders and thyroid health. We can also gather that there is a relationship between estrogen and liver function. The liver metabolizes fat, filters the blood, and sends cholesterol packin' for the exit.
There are two main reasons that carbohydrates can be a contributing factor to estrogen dominance.
1. Fructose, the sugar from fruit, bypasses normal sugar breakdown and is immediately taken to the liver for storage (fat). Eating WHOLE fruit, not just juice, slows this down, but it happens nonetheless [6]. Also, fast available energy is going to unavoidably increase blood sugar (that's kind of the point), thus kicking the liver into "work mode". This should be a normal and common occurrence, however, in the proportions of the standard american diet, the liver simply can't keep up, at least not on any long term basis. This taxation forces the liver to "prioritize", and depending on the body's state, different things will result, but in any case the result is not the optimization of liver function [7]. Think of it like Lucy and Ethel eating chocolates off the candy line. Recent research shows that adipose tissue (fat) can actually produce estrogen, thus further contributing to the estrogen dominance [8].
2. The other way that carbohydrate consumption influences estrogen, and to me this is the biggest shocker, is mold. MOLD. This one blew my mind. Below, under "extra fun reading" you'll find one legit article, and then several weak, or wiki articles. These are purely supporting pages that let you know the sources of the mold mentioned in the first article. These molds that are directly known as estrogen metabolites are covering most grains, beans, and corn. It's not their fault that these molds love them so much, but anything that is mass ground (wheat, barley, corn) is going to contain at minimum trace amounts of these contaminants. And we aren't saying, "oh this may be a contributing factor." Science is saying "this may be THE THING". Mold.
By consuming a sub 25g net of carbohydrates a day, you are most likely not fitting wheat, corn, or beans into your diet. Thus, potentially removing 60-80% of the contributing factors of estrogen dominance.
*Frankly, non-reputable sources highly correlate endometriosis to decreased sensitivity to estrogen receptors...but I can't find anything that is accessible to the public (there are about 17 sources on pubmed, if you have access), but I wont cite crappy research.
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3113168/
2. https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1476-069X-11-S1-S8
3. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/000992288802700804 ** if you have access to this article it is GREAT. I can't find it for free to share with you :(
4. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02134006?LI=true
5.http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1209993
6. http://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/abundance-of-fructose-not-good-for-the-liver-heart
7.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0022473187902007
8.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11511861
Some extra fun reading about contributing factors of estrogen dominance:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC164220/
a) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zearalenone
b)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibberella_zeae
c)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusarium_culmorum
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